Marloth’s messy problem an ongoing saga

MARLOTH PARK – Due to the ongoing refuse issues in Marloth Park, residents, property owners and volunteers recently joined hands to clean up the streets and surrounding areas. Once a week a small group of volunteers and casual workers clean a section of this town picking up an average of 30 bags of refuse. This started on May 13 last year. Groups of about six people were able to do this in about three to four hours. However, municipal workers employed by the Nkomazi Local Municipality (NKLM), of which there were 11 at the time, were only able to collect an average of one or two bags per day working full time. Two casual workers were employed once a week at R240 for the cost of residents. An on-site meeting was held in May last year between the waste department, the Marloth Park Property Owners Association and owners Ms Alison Fitzgerald and Mr Dean Jones to discuss the issues around the dump. They were assured that this would be made into a “transit station shortly”, therefore it was not necessary to put any effort into the main dump. Recycling was discussed and a permit had already been issued to another party, but they were not active for the last six months. A meeting was arranged by NKLM waste department with the permit holder to see whether residents could assist in recycling, but to no avail. Work commenced in July 2014 focussing on one of the main problem areas of refuse collection – a broken open brick bin area that was never emptied and open to wildlife to spread over the park. The brick bin area was emptied and all of the refuse was bagged and taken to the dump. The waste department assisted. The rest was transported to the site by volunteers and residents. The open bin area was cleaned and rebuilt with a caged walk-in bin and a place was demarcated and covered with shade for recycling to reduce the amount of refuse. This was done at a cost of R7 190 through donations raised by residents. The municipality conducted an on-site inspection. It was thrilled with the results and residents were asked to do the same at Gate 1 in Marloth Park, but no funding or assistance was offered by the municipality. In September 2014 the main dump had become such a problem that the waste was spilling onto the main road and access to the site was impossible. The front fence was broken, gates were destroyed and waste was strewn all over the park. A large group of residents came together to clean up the entrance and paid casual labourers to assist. They also purchased bin bags to bag the waste. They cleared up the road close to the dump where the waste had spilled. Loads of refuse were removed and deposited further to the site so that vehicles could enter the dump. The following day the NKLM provided a TLB to grade the road as it was in such a state of disrepair that most vehicles could not use it. A decision was made by volunteers in October to visit the main dump to effect repairs. The proposed changes by the municipality to turn it into a transit site did not seem to be imminent and the lack of service delivery caused many problems. Requests for a municipal TLB to assist in moving waste only resulted in one being supplied infrequently. It was in a poor state and only able to work for 10 minutes before breaking down. The front area was cleaned, bricks were salvaged, and a drop-off point was paved. The furnace pit was dug out and recovered. It was cleaned up and although in a badly rusted state, a new door was fitted by the residents. Requests for municipal workers to manage the site and work the furnace fell on deaf ears. The main dump was inspected by the NKLM waste department through an on-site visit and permission was given to start recycling. Residents were promised assistance to repair the gates and road entrance and again were told that the waste would be moving to the Steenbok site soon. In November last year a TLB was hired by residents and the front section of the dump was cleared. The build-up of soil was also removed which had caused the fence to collapse. New gate posts were erected. Workers cleaned up the refuse and maintained a clean path into the dump. Municipal workers assisted on one occasion by raking the ground to keep the road entry clear. A new fence that was donated by a local hardware store was put up with the assistance of municipal rangers. • In November 2014 the first load of glass left the dump as volunteers, residents and casual staff worked tirelessly into the night to load it. • On the 15th the fence was covered with shade cloth, donated by a local hardware store, to prevent the waste from spilling into Marloth Park and form a screen. The area in front of the dump was beautified with the addition of indigenous aloes purchased by residents. A local made two can presses which were installed at the recycle station at Gate 2 and at the main dump. This enabled residents to recycle cans. With casual staff employed, equipped and trained by residents up to 70 per cent of the refuse was sorted, recycled and cleaned so that only 30 per cent of the waste was dumped. The area was cleaned daily and the reduction in flies was marked. • On December 11 residents paid for repairs to the water system so that water could be available for the municipal toilet and shower and to refurbish the gates. • On January 20 this year a bulldozer was sponsored by Greens to clear the dump and move the waste to the back of the site. Repeated requests for NKLM to regularly provide a TLB to move waste too heavy to be moved manually, were not forthcoming as machinery was in disrepair. Work was done on a daily basis by residents, volunteers and casual workers to maintain the dump. Repeated requests for electricity to be supplied to the main dump were verbally granted by the waste department but did not materialise. Machinery was available to crush and bale the refuse at no cost to the municipality but could not be operated without electricity. Wastetech, a specialist waste-management BEE company had been extremely helpful in providing sponsorship, transport and assistance to residents in the initiative to manage the waste and recycle. • In April a contract was negotiated with Wastetech to manage the main dump. This contract was given to the waste department for its input. Meetings were held and all aspects of the contract discussed. The waste department was extremely happy with the terms of the contract and the costs thereof. A meeting was arranged with the municipal manager, Mr Dan Ngwenya, the waste department, Jones, Fitzgerald and the MPPOA. Unfortunately this was cancelled due to a crisis at the municipality and although other meetings were set up none of them actually took place due to postponement by the municipality. • On April 12 it became necessary to decommission the furnace due to its poor state and rusting frame. As a result foodstuff could not be burnt and the breeding of flies escalated. The moving of the waste became more and more labour intensive. At the IDP meeting in Marloth Park, NKLM promised that the proposed dump would be made a transit site and waste would be moved to the new landfill in Steenbok by July. In July this had still not taken place and volunteers and casual workers stopped maintaining and managing the dump. The following monies were raised by volunteers and residents for waste management over and above the municipal refuse fee: May 2014 to July 2015 Casual workers’ salaries: R163 600 Building the recycle stations at gates: R14 653 Sponsorships: R51 137 Main dump repairs and maintenance: R64 531 Donations: R24 786 Recycling: R36 558.